9/11/11 - Remembering 10 Years Later

This morning dawned sunny and crisp with a touch of fall in the air. The threat of thunderstorms could be seen beginning to roll in from the bottom of the island, slowly moving North to cover Ground Zero and continue up the length of the island. The contrast of the dark against the blue sky makes the air look thick and gray toward the South - bringing back images of the ashy smoke that went past 14th Street on this day 10 years ago. Walking to the Christopher Street Pier, the streets were quiet. New York was still asleep from the night before. At 8:46am and 9:03am, church bells could be heard chiming, providing a chilling remembrance of the lives lost. At the West Side Highway, a group of activists stood between the North and South bound lanes, waving signs of "We Will Never Forget," American flags, and pictures of the towers. "Heroes Highway" was written on a sign and implanted into the ground. Drivers honked their horns and emergency vehicles sounded their sirens as they passed. 

 Activists on the West Side Hwy.

From the end of the Pier there was a visual of the Freedom Tower, the Statue of Liberty and in between the two, a huge combat ship with a Coast Guard rescue boat spraying huge streams of water in all directions. Runners and walkers on the pier all paused to have a moment of silence. After the streams of water stopped, a sailboat with a main and jib imprinted with the American flag sailed in front of Ground Zero. Shortly afterward, four cigarette boats raced down the Hudson toward the memorial in sync, one behind the other with large flags blowing behind. 

 Boats going to Ground Zero 

As I walked through the streets, I looked around at the the places that have become so familiar to me and I imagined what it would have looked like a decade ago. Many of the shops and restaurants would have been different in the ever transforming city; fashion and technology have completely changed - and yet the horrific images and stories people recount have remained the same: moments frozen in time, etched so deeply into the memories of those who experienced that day. 

Particularly in light of the potential terrorism threats, the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers has once again created a feeling of unification in the city and perhaps even around the country. I think New Yorkers feel defiant; ready to protect our city and preserve that of which we are so proud and love so dearly. 

For Adam, a fine friend who will be sorely missed.

October 3, 2010

May my soul's love

Make its way unto thee

May my love's inmost sense

Make its way unto thee

That they sustain thee

That they enfold thee

In realms of love. 

- Rudolf Steiner

Little Havana

The main justification of my weekend in Miami this past February was really to visit and explore the area of Little Havana, a neighborhood filled with Cuban restaurants, cheap knick-knack shops and voodoo boutiques.

After attempting to get information on the area from our hotel and miserably failing, (the concierge unhelpfully told us that the area was unsafe and that we would be much better to take a tour on a bus offered by the hotel), we decided to go it alone, hopping a cab and telling him to take us to the neighborhood and drop us off on the street.

A $30 cab ride later, we found ourselves on a large, busy street with no real idea of where to go. So we started walking.

Little Havana turned out to be a fascinating cultural experience. Sure, the wide streets, cars and architecture were all very American, but the people, the shops, and overall experience were not. Signs in English were few and far between, and a real highlight soon into the adventure turned out to be a Cuban pastry shop where two delicious sweets cost a mere $1.

I could describe in detail all of the adventures, but I feel the pictures speak better for themselves.

Who would want to pay $5 for shoes when you can pay... $3?

Flower Power

When asked for a recommendation for the best Cuban restaurant in Little Havana for lunch, Peter Hernandez ruefully told me that the building in which I was currently standing used to be it.

These days Peter helps his parents run their fruit market in Little Havana, a largely Cuban enclave in Miami Florida. Los Pinareños Fruteria, a bright yellow structure along Calle Ocho has been touted as the ‘last open air farmer’s market in Miami.’ The business has been in the Hernandez family for over 45 years, started when Peter’s parents, young and rebellious at the time, had to escape Castro’s rising regime in Cuba.

But the popular tour bus stop that offers fresh papaya smoothies didn’t use to be just a fruit market; in the 1990s Los Pinareños was a burgeoning restaurant, serving, as Peter says, “some of the best Cuban food in Miami.”

A devastating fire ripped through the building in 1995, destroying everything the Hernandez’s had worked so hard to create. A lack of insurance meant that the space they had paid $68,000 for in 1968 and from which they made their livelihood was gone.

It took three years to rebuild, the money mostly earned from the sale of flowers, the likes of which can still be seen in the forms of beautiful, bright tropical colors.

Now that Cuban Americans are allowed to return to Cuba to visit close relatives, I asked Peter if he planned on going back to his parent’s country. “Out of respect for my parents, I don’t go back to Cuba,” was his response. Elaborating, he told me that his parents were originally farmers, born in the Pinar del Rio region.

“My parents, even though they were uneducated farmers, had to leave their land at the age of 17,” he said. “They were participating in anti-Castro movements, such as throwing rocks at governments buildings in protest.” The couple ended up escaping Cuba for the United States, arriving around 1958. “They wanted a democracy,” Peter simply explained.

Every day, Peter and his parents work at the farmer’s market, telling their story to those who ask, while selling what they have to offer.

Peter hopes that through the sale of fresh fruit smoothies, sandwiches made with a small panini maker and of course flowers, that he and his parents will eventually be able to save up enough money to re-open a restaurant like they once had.

Miami Series: Buenas Tardes, Señora Martinez!

Señora Martinez

Tapas Design at it’s best in the Textile Neighborhood

Located at 4000 NE 2nd Ave, the Spanish influenced Señora Martinez tapas bar and restaurant is located a happy distance from the over the top glitz of South Beach. Opened in 2009 and set in an old stone building amidst art galleries and design centers in Miami’s textile neighborhood, Sra Martinez has once again done herself proud with this new venture.

Traditional in appearance from the exterior, the interior is anything but. High, vaulted ceilings with dark wood beams accent the décor in black and white: black wooden bar stools with bright silver tacks, black and white floral patterned tiles on one wall, black wooden shutters on another. Along the left hand side of the room runs a modern glass and steel staircase, stealing much of the focal point of the interior. The staircase leads to an upstairs dining area, a grey brick wall with red Kartell ghost chairs.

To offset the low lighting and dark colors, the restaurant tapas bar is lit with two naked orange light bulbs. Flanking the bar are beautiful bouquets of tulips and roses of all hues and shapes, accompanied by bright tropical fruits artfully displayed in glass jars.

The servers were all friendly and efficient. My waiter, Marcello helpfully recommended items off of the tapas style menu. The Spanish and South American inspired menu offers dishes such as the Shrimp Tiradito; a delightful combination of jumbo shrimp, soy sauce and aioli, with some freshly popped corn to decorate the plate, and the Garbanzo Stew; a hearty bean stew with chorizo and a raw quail egg to add some adventure to the mix.

The vibe in the restaurant is fun and upbeat, with lounge type music in the background. On a Thursday night, the crowd varied widely; from a business dinner in the upstairs quarters, to couples and groups of friends spread out among booths and bar style dining.

Out of all the Miami restaurants in which I ate, Sra. Martinez was by far a favorite. And no wonder... the restaurant was named in Esquire Magazine’s ‘Best New Restaurants 2009’. The only downside was the $30+ cab ride to and from South Beach... Although I did have Ralph as my cab driver on the way back!

Crazy Pirates

As I found out during a long weekend in Miami, a trip in a taxi differs substantially from that in New York. To begin with, the cabs in Miami are driver and rider friendly - in that they encourage conversation between both companies due to the lack of what I assume in New York is a bullet-proof (and thus mainly conversation-proof) partition. A description in an article by New York Times writer Sewell Chan from 2005 aptly describes the job of said partition in NYC cabs: “It emerged in the 1960's as an invention born of fear: the taxicab partition, meant to spare the lives of drivers at a time of gunfire, armed robberies and murders.” Chan best captures the loss of human to human contact with his observation, “with the partition closed, the classic cabbie conversation - the one about politics and local lore, current events and competing theories about the best way from, say, Midtown to Kennedy - would become all but impossible.”

Well my friends, in Miami the ‘cabbie conversation’ is fully alive and kicking. Almost every taxi trip was filled with colorful conversation, covering wide ranging topics, including; true to Chan, politics, local lore and current events. One particularly engaging man was Raphael, or ‘Ralph Taxi;’ accompanied by ‘Professional Service’ and ‘WE GO EVERYWHERE,’ as his business card reads.

Ralph is from Peru. In his home country he worked as a musician, composing and compiling pieces for advertisements and screenplays. Ralph loves to talk, and talk he does.

I learned that he has family members in far reaching places such as Paris, Germany and yes, even one starting school in Toronto next year.

Ralph takes his job very seriously. And he’s good at it. He drove at a comfortable speed and took the corners gently as he told me about what he does. “So many of the taxi drivers are nuts here,” he said. “They’re like crazy pirates on the road.” (He should go to New York).

As the Olympics were going on during my stay in Miami, I asked Ralph if he watched any of the sporting events. He said he didn’t, adding that he felt that it was his responsibility to “organize the other crazy pirates” on the road and make sure they were in the right locations.

It’s always so fascinating talking to cab drivers when you get the chance - often their stories are so interesting and filled with insightful anecdotes. Sit back, or forward, rather, and engage in conversation and share in a 5, 10 or 15 minute chinwag with a perfect stranger. What is there to lose?

WELCOME TO MIAMI

Miami: pronounced \mī-ˈa-mē,-mə\ is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida in the United States (Wikipedia definition)

A long weekend in one of the Sunshine State's famous cities yielded some colorful characters and curious cultural adventures.